


Cinnamon and Sapphires

by ZabbyPerno



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, F/M, Female Jim Kirk, Genderswap, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-17
Updated: 2014-01-13
Packaged: 2018-01-01 19:31:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1047731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZabbyPerno/pseuds/ZabbyPerno
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jamie Tiberia Kirk never made it to Starfleet. She never even met Christopher Pike in that dump of a bar. Instead, she met Dr. Harriet Neveaux when she was fifteen and was lured into her second best destiny: being a psychiatrist.</p><p>S'chn T'gai Spock never turned down his admission to the Academy because of their insult to his mother. He was, instead, determined to do better than they thought he would.</p><p>Now, three years after the destruction of Vulcan, Spock is a junior Ambassador to Earth, raising his son Silok, and utterly lost on how to help his son heal. It's just lucky that Spock met Dr. Jamie Kirk, then, isn't it?</p><p>Maybe, just maybe, through sapphire eyes, Spock and Silok will be healed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. At First Glance

**Author's Note:**

> Beta-read by LadyLazarus13

Dr. [Jamie Tiberia Kirk](http://destroyerofthesouls.tumblr.com/jamietiberiakirk) collapsed on her couch in her apartment in New York, kicking her heels off. She groaned as her cat, Pyewacket, jumped up on her lap. “Pye,” she moaned, already envisioning the blue-grey hair that was going to be transferred even during such a short contact period. “Can’t you wait ’til I’ve had my ten minutes of nothing before I go change to jump on me?”

The cat jumped up to the top of the couch and settle on her shoulder, which wasn’t much better. Jamie side, scratching Pye’s ears. Maybe five minutes later, Jamie’s boss, [Harriet Neveaux](http://destroyerofthesouls.tumblr.com/harrietneveaux), called. “Jamie, sorry to call so late. But… We have a bit of a problem.”

“What?” Jamie asked. “What do you mean, a problem?”

Harry sighed. “Exactly what I said. Now, wipe off the cat hair and come back in. We have an ambassador to meet. Actually bring the cat.”

“Why do you want me to bring Pye?”

“Because we’re spending three months in our San Francisco offices,” Harry said, starting to sound annoyed.

Three days later, Jamie found herself with her cat in her office in San Francisco. In one corner of her office, her chess set was set up. In another corner, hidden by screen, was an area where Jamie to change clothes and Pye’s litter box. There was a window overlooking the bay. Jamie rather enjoyed the view, having grown up in the Midwest.

Jamie’s apartment was right above her office, which was rather convenient, if she thought about it. Either way, Pye could go to and from her office to her apartment.

The cat was curled up on a chair, staring blankly at Jamie, as if asking, _Why are we here?_

The blonde woman sighed. She and Harry had a meeting with an Ambassador Sarek and Ambassador [Spock](http://destroyerofthesouls.tumblr.com/spock) in ten minutes. “Stay here,” she said, looking at her cat, “and don’t get in trouble.” The cat mewled, and Jamie tossed her withering look. “I mean it.”

Jamie closed her office behind her, knowing that if she didn't, Pye would get out.

With her PADD in hand, Jamie slid into the room just after Harriet. The older woman just smiled and nodded. “Welcome, Ambassador Spock, Ambassador Sarek. Thank you for meeting with us today. Now, what’s this I hear about you needing psychologists who work with children?”

“Yes,” the older of the two said. “New Vulcan is in need of assistance. We have a great many orphans, as well as children who only now have a single parents. The children, as their telepathic centers are not fully developed, were the most affected by the Immeasurable Loss.”

“And why us?” Harry asked, as Jamie jotted down notes. “Why pick a teams of humans?”

This time, the younger Vulcan spoke. “Because, Doctor, humans are not telepathic in the sense that we Vulcans are. If a Vulcan child lashes out telepathically, a human’s natural shields are strong enough to withstand such an attack.”

Harry nodded. “Understandable.”

The meeting went on for several more hours, as they hammered out a plan. Jamie and Harry’s team of both child and family psychologists, if they worked well with the Vulcans at the Embassy, would travel to New Vulcan in three months time to work with the remaining populace of Vulcans.

After the meeting was over, Harry led Jamie back into her office. “What did you think?”

“The younger one was rather arrogant, and the older one seemed to have a better idea of what he was doing,” Jamie said, accepting the cup of tea from the older British woman.

Jamie had met Harry when Sam, her older brother, had called CPS. Harry had been the one to take Jamie in for a few days as they found a good foster family for her. Even after her placement, Harriet had continued to be a mentor for Jamie, and when Jamie turned 18, she was accepted at a state school, where she completed her psychology degree. After that, Jamie decided to complete her psychiatrist degree. Harry had offered her a place in her office in San Francisco when Jamie decided on a school there. Now, at 28, Jamie had known Harry for almost 13 years.

Harry nodded. “I got that impression too. But I meant of our plan.”

“I see no reason why we shouldn’t be on a ship to New Vulcan in three months,” Jamie said, shrugging. “If we choose correctly, that is. I was working on a basic list, of who we should ask.” She handed over the PADD with her tentative list of names. “I thought we’d go over it together.”

Harry looked over the list. “This should work just fine. I’ll send out a mass email, and we’ll tweak it as needed. You can go back to your office and deal with that cat of yours.” She looked at her messages. “In fact, you might want to go _find_ your cat. Apparently your cat was seen running through the halls of our building… with a chess piece in her mouth?”

Jamie gaped, terror and confusion running across her face. “What? A chess— How the fuck did she get out of my office in the first place?”

A shrug from Harry. “I don’t know. But you’d best go find Pye.”

Jamie left the room in a hurry, and started looking for places where the errant Pye and chess piece could be.

No one knew where the cat actually was. Which wasn’t good, in Jamie’s opinion.

She searched for a good twenty minutes before the only place left to check was the waiting room, and surely someone would have seen the miserable brat and let her know.

She opened the door to the waiting room that was normally used by parents of patients, or even more commonly, foster parents of patients. But as it was after office hours, no one should have been in there.

To Jamie’s shock the room wasn’t empty, but instead, a young Vulcan child—a son of one of the Ambassadors who was there earlier?—sat in one of the chairs, with Pye’s front paws resting by the little boy’s legs, meowing to be let up. The chess piece sat on the arm of the chair. The boy looked like the younger Ambassador who had joined them. “Pyewacket!” she said, voice relieved.

The boy looked up at her. “Your feline deposited this chess piece on my leg, then has proceeded to meow at me when I would not let her recline in my lap.”

Jamie crossed the room in a few steps and swept up Pye, mentally breathing a sigh of relief. She held the cat close to her chest. The breeder she’d bought Pye from had informed her that all his animals were raised to be sensitive to telepathic beings because he himself was a Betazoid. “Don’t you do that again,” she scolded, making sure to project her displeasure at the cat. Pye’s ears drooped as if saying she had a good reason for disappearing. “I don’t care if the president of the Federation walked into my office,” she continued, looking her cat dead in the eye. “I told you to stay there, and I expected you to stay there. I didn’t mean ‘stay here’ with the intention that you could gallivant around the offices with…” she looked at the chess piece, “…the black knight in your mouth! Jesus, Pye,” she said, exasperated.

She looked at the boy, who was looking at her like he thought she was crazy. “I’m so sorry Pyewacket was bugging you,” she said, letting the cat crawl up to Jamie’s shoulder, where she sat contentedly.

“It… is of no concern.”

The door to the waiting room opened again and the young, arrogant ambassador from earlier stepped in. “Silok, I have been looking for you for the past 15.23 minutes.”

The boy, [Silok](http://destroyerofthesouls.tumblr.com/silok) apparently, looked up at him. “I am sorry, Father.”

The ambassador brushed it off. “Silok. It was irresponsible of you to deter from the location of which I bade you to remain. Why did you not remain at Counselor Monroe’s office?”

The boy didn’t answer and Jamie scoffed. “I don’t know why we keep Lilly Monroe around,” she said, “because seriously, she has to be one of the worst child psychologists we have on staff here. Decent with family, but not necessarily with kids.”

The ambassador visibly bristled as he turned to Jamie, who still had Pye sitting on her shoulder. “Who are you to give such opinions? You only took notes at our meeting this afternoon and did not contribute at all. Silok, who is this woman?”

Jamie stiffened, and Pye’s ears flattened, realizing her owner was not happy. “My name is Dr. Jamie T. Kirk, and I have every right to give my opinion on Dr. Monroe. Just because I didn’t speak at the meeting today does not mean that I’m not completely qualified. I resent that you think I am equivalent of the hired help, when in fact, I am the head psychiatrist in this program, while Dr. Neveaux runs the child placement with CPS.”

Silok, who was watching the exchange, blinked. He had never seen someone so instantly hostile. It was not common on New Vulcan.

The Vulcan asshole raised an eyebrow. “I apologize, _Dr. Kirk_ , for the misunderstanding, however you gave me no reason to think otherwise,” he said, slightly sneering her title and name. He turned away from her, and Jamie bristled again. Pye hissed in her ear, sensing her irritation.

She crossed her arms, glaring slightly. Who was _he_ to judge _her_?

The older Vulcan turned to his son. “I must ask. Did she make you feel unsafe at all? Or attempt to harm you in any way?”

Before Silok could answer, Jamie stepped forward. “He has a good point. I would like to know as well, because if she hurt a child who was in her care…”

“May I inquire as to why you are still here, Dr. Kirk?” the ambassador asked, voice chilly.

“In case you haven’t realized, _Ambassador_ , I am in a position to get anyone who’s threatening a child removed from their position here and between Harry and me, we can get their license stripped so they never work with children again. I need to know,” Jamie said coldly. “So, I have every right to be here. Consider this your son’s formal complaint against Dr. Monroe.”

The Vulcan snob sneered in a non-emotional way and turned back to his son.

“She did not harm me or make me feel unsafe,” Silok murmured, almost too soft for Jamie to hear.

Jamie breathed a sigh of relief. After her step-father, she refused to let another child under her care be hurt if she could help it.

“Then I inquire as to why you did not remain in her office.” He knelt down to the child’s level in a surprisingly human gesture. “She said you fled after ten minutes.”

“She does not understand.”

Jamie couldn’t stand on the sidelines. “May I try, Ambassador?” she asked, stepping forward. The fact that she managed to walk with a cat on her shoulder showed how much time Pye spent there. “I do have the necessary requirements to work with children.”

He didn’t say anyway, as he backed away.

“Silok, right?” Jamie asked, kneeling by the chair.

The boy nodded, not saying anything. Pye took the opportunity to jump from Jamie’s shoulder and sat in the shocked boy’s lap, batting his face, mewling imploringly.

“What is your feline doing?” the Ambassador asked, sound faintly like he was about to snatch Pye away from his son.

“She’s trying to make him feel better…” Jamie said, turning to the man, shocked. She’d never seen Pye attach herself that quickly to another person that was not her. “That’s how Russian Blues show that they’re concerned. See? No claws out.”

The cat mewled again, butting her head against his chest. She looked back at Jamie before looking back up at Silok, meowing softly, as if trying to get Jamie to talk to the boy.

Silok blinked, pushing the cat away. Pye gently hooked her claws into the child’s shirt, refusing to be pushed away. She butted his hand, purring softly. “I do not understand. Father, why is the feline doing this?”

It was Jamie who answered. “She was bred by a telepath, and as such, she’s more sensitive to emotions from other beings, especially those who are telepathic in their own right. And she likes you. I’ve never seen her take to someone this quickly.”

Silok nodded, hand ghosting gently over Pye’s back. A slightly shocked look on his face appeared as he did so.

“What didn’t you like about Dr. Monroe?” Jamie asked quietly.

“She did not understand.”

“Did not understand what?”

“Me.” Before Jamie could say anything, Silok looked up at his father. “I would like to go home, now, Father.”

Jamie reached forward and carefully extracted her cat from Silok as the older Vulcan spoke. “Of course. Wait for me in the hall. I would like to converse with Dr. Kirk.”

Silok nodded, slipping out into the hall to wait.

Pye settled in on Jamie’s shoulder as the woman turned to Spock. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare him. I work with children who have been abused. And it’s obvious that you aren’t abusing him. I just wanted to help.”

“I understand, Doctor.”

Jamie was silent, trying to think of something to say.

“Who would you recommend, instead of Dr. Monroe?”

She thought about it. “Well, there’s Dr. William Larson. He’s good with kids around Silok’s age. Silok’s… What, ten?”

“Ten standard years, correct.”

“Yeah, Will’s good with kids that age. There’s also Dr. Danielle Stryker, and she’s pretty good with kids, especially about getting them to open up.” A pause. “It would help me to know why you have him in therapy.”

A pause as the Ambassador gathered his thoughts. “My wife, T’Pring, was killed in the Immeasurable Loss, as well as my mother. Silok was close to both of them. It has been a devastating time for him.

Jamie nodded. “I see. Well, in that case, Dr. Timothy Andrews would be a good choice. He lost his sister in the Battle of Vulcan. He understands. Also, Dr. Emma Knightley. She lost her father and brother in the Battle as well.” She sighed. “I know the pain of losing a parent.”

The man slightly bowed. “Thank you, Dr. Kirk.”

“You’re welcome… I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name earlier.”

“My name is Spock.”

She smiled politely. “Ambassador Spock. Just call the front desk and set up an appointment with whomever you like.”

“You have my thanks again,” Spock said, bowing. He departed, and Jamie was left standing there, Pye nuzzling her head.

“He,” she said, looking up at her cat, “is an arrogant asshole.” Pye mewled like she agreed.

With her cat on her shoulder, Jamie made her way to Harry’s office, where the older woman was waiting. “Ready?” Jamie asked.

“Whenever you are,” Harriet said, gathering her coat. “We’re making food tonight?”

“Yeah, I don’t want to let Pye out of my sight after that stunt she pulled.” On her shoulder, Pye started to wash her paw, attempting to look innocent.

Harry nodded. “Good plan.”

The top floor had been converted into two apartments, one for Jamie and one for Harry. The two women rode to the top floor in companionable silence. After putting her things away, Harry joined Jamie in her apartment.

Jamie was already starting the water for pasta. “I met Ambassador Spock’s son while searching for Pye.”

“Oh?” Harry said, going to the fridge and pulling out the red wine that would go with what Jamie was making. She poured a glass for Jamie and one for herself. “What was he like?”

“Shy. He saw Dr. Monroe today. Apparently, he ran out on her. I’m telling you, Harry, we need to get rid of her.”

“And I’ve told you, Jamie, that we cannot let her go without good reason unless we want a lawsuit on our case and our partnership with CPS severed.”

Jamie sighed, stirring the sauce. “Okay, then, we need to at least move her to where she’s dealing with teens and not children under the age of 13.”

Harry seemed to think about it, swirling her wine in her glass. “Maybe,” she said, taking a sip. “Did you get the boy back to his father?”

“Actually, his father found us,” Jamie said, turning back, accepting the glass of wine. “And he was an arrogant asshole.”

“Ambassador Spock didn’t seem that bad in the meeting.”

Jamie pursed her lips and looked at Harry. “That’s because you weren’t in a one-on-one with him.” She glared into her wine. “Can you believe he basically thought I was your secretary? I mean, Jesus Christ on a crutch, this isn’t the 21st century when women were only paid, what, 75 cents on the dollar. Or hell, even the 1950s, when women were expected to be good little housewives.”

“Vulcan society is different than human society,” Harry reminded her. “Their women are still seen as slightly subservient.”

Jamie’s frown grew. “Which is bullshit.”

“True. But at the same time, they aren’t. T’Pau is the most powerful person on New Vulcan, and she was the most powerful person before Vulcan was destroyed.”

From her corner of the room, Pye mewled, before jumping up on the island to jump on Jamie’s shoulder. She nuzzled Jamie’s head and Harry took note. One could always tell the state of Jamie’s mind by how Pyewacket reacted to her.

Jamie turned to the sink to turn the cold water on so she didn’t scald the pipes. She strained the noodles and set it back on the stove. Sometimes, Harry thought, watching Jamie work with Pye on her shoulder was the most brilliant thing anyone would ever see. She’d never seen a cat so in tune with their owner before. Though sometimes she thought Pye owned Jamie and not the other way around.

Harry set the table for the two of them as Jamie mixed the sauce and the noodles together. Jamie set the finished dish on the table and both women sat down. Pye hopped off Jamie’s shoulder and curled up on another chair, and drifted off. The two women discussed potential strategies for dealing with the Vulcan children who had lost one or more relatives in the Immeasurable Loss.

As the meal wound to a close, Jamie’s eyes started to droop and Harry realized she was still running on New York time. “Why don’t you get to sleep,” she suggested, putting her plate in the sink and rinsing it off. “I’ll take the left overs to my place.”

Jamie nodded, following suit. “When is [Bones](http://destroyerofthesouls.tumblr.com/leonardmccoy) coming in?”

“Leonard and [Joanna](http://destroyerofthesouls.tumblr.com/joannamccoy) are flying in tomorrow. Bitched up a storm when I called him. He didn’t like that he has to cut his time at his Mum’s short so that he and Joanna could fly back from Georgia. It is her spring break after all.” In the length of time Harry had lived in the United States, she had mostly lost her natural British accent. However, on certain words, like ‘mum’, it came slipping through again.

“Jo only gets a week off, right?”

Harry nodded, taking Jamie’s dish from her. “Yes. And they were supposed to fly back on Saturday. However, with this new development, I asked Leonard if he would be willing to cut his vacation short.”

“Let me guess,” Jamie said, placing the left overs in a Tupperware bowl. “He cursed a blue streak and said you owed him days at Christmas.”

“That he did,” Harry said, accepting the bowl. “And on that note, Jamie-girl, you get sleep. I want to see you bright eyed and bushy-tailed tomorrow.”

Jamie hugged Harry. “I will. Night, Harriet.”

“Good night, Jamie.”

Across town, in the Vulcan Embassy, the two Ambassadors to Earth stood speaking quietly as they waited for Silok to come downstairs.

“I believe that this group will be most beneficial for New Vulcan,” Sarek said thoughtfully. “Dr. Neveaux seemed quiet competent, though I was rather unimpressed that we did not meet Dr. Kirk. I was expecting him to come to the meeting.”

Spock paused. “She did come to the meeting, Father. The other woman, who merely took notes? That was Dr. Jamie Kirk. In this case, Jamie was not a diminutive for James.”

Sarek raised an eyebrow. “I do not understand, my son, how you came across this information.”

“I was looking Silok after he fled Dr. Monroe’s office, I found him in a waiting room with the blonde woman from the meeting, with a cat in her arms. I asked him why he did not stay with Dr. Monroe like we requested him to, she said that Dr. Monroe was, and I shall paraphrase her words, the worst possible choice we could have made for Silok. I inquired to who she was, and she said her name was Dr. Jamie T. Kirk.”

The older of the two Vulcans nodded, absorbing the information. It was his and Spock’s mistake for not checking out anyone other than Dr. Neveaux before going to the meeting. “I believe I understand. And what was your impression of her?”

Spock contemplated it. “I believe her to be quite competent. She spoke to Silok, and she managed to get Silok to reveal why he did not stay with Dr. Monroe for their full session.” He paused, unsure as to what he should reveal. “Dr. Kirk was looking for her cat, whom apparently followed Silok to the waiting room. According to Silok, the animal encountered him in the waiting room and dropped a chess piece in his lap before attempting to sit in it. I myself saw the feline jump into Silok’s lap and bat his face.”

“Was Silok injured?” Sarek inquired.

“No, Father. Dr. Kirk informed me that that was the breed’s way of trying to encourage positive feelings. My own research during the trip back to the Embassy proved her words to be true. The animal was merely trying to… comfort Silok to the best of her abilities.”

As if summoned by the continued use of his name, Silok appeared in the doorway. Sarek looked his grandson over, as if not trusting his son’s judgment. “Are you prepared to depart, Silok?” he asked.

“Yes, Grandfather,” Silok murmured, coming to stand by his father. It was at moments like this that Silok missed his Grandmother Amanda dearly. Her home cooked meals, her presence… Silok missed the way she would give him hugs even though his parents, particularly his mother, protested. He missed the little gifts she would give him on the date of his birth and the Terran holiday of Christmas.

Spock watched the minute expressions flit through his son’s face. “Let us depart then,” he said, guiding his son out of the room, Sarek on Silok’s other side.

They made their way to a Vulcan restaurant that was recommended by the Embassy. They were greeted and shown to a private room. The perused the menu in silence. One by one, they laid down their menus. The waiter entered and they ordered.

The three Vulcans were silent as their food was ordered and delivered. They ate in silence.

The ride back to the embassy, however, was not silent. Spock had spent the meal figuring out how to broach the topic of a new therapist with his son. “Silok. I spoke with Dr. Monroe. She does not believe that she is the right fit for you.”

“I see, Father.” Silok was sitting unusually stiff and his voice was barely hiding a tremble.

“Dr. Kirk gave me the names of several people who work under her who she believed would work better with you than Dr. Monroe.”

“I do not need a psychologist, Father.”

“I disagree,” Spock said, voice even. Inwardly, he could not see why Silok could not see the logic of accepting help from an outside source. The Immeasurable Loss had hit every Vulcan hard, but it hurt the children most of all. “I myself have seen a Vulcan Healer.” Spock wondered briefly how T’Pring had managed to deal with Silok so much easier than he, and not for the first time, he wished his wife had survived the destruction of Vulcan.

Voice audibly shaky, Silok murmured, “They did not help me as you might have wished.”

Silok was refusing to meet Spock’s eyes, and once again, Spock wondered what he was doing so wrong that his own son refused to look at him. “Elaborate.”

No answer.

Once they were back at their apartment at the Embassy, Silok slipped into his room and shut the door behind him, effectively shutting Spock out as he had done every night since their move to Earth. Spock stood outside it, wondering how any species managed to survive if parenting was this difficult.

Walking towards his office, Spock pondering where he had gone so wrong. He found himself missing T’Pring’s presence in his mind once more and let himself grieve before releasing the feeling. How had T’Pring managed their son so easily when Spock himself was barely able to get the boy to look at him?

In his office, Spock pulled up the profiles of the different doctors that Dr. Kirk had mentioned. He also pulled up Dr. Kirk’s profile. Out of the five profiles, he narrowed it down to Dr. Timothy Andrews and Dr. Jamie Kirk.

He stared at the profile picture of Dr. Kirk for longer than strictly necessary. There was something unique about her. As it was, he shrugged off the feeling and looked at the two psychiatrist’s schooling and history.

Dr. Andrews had the more experience, but Dr. Kirk was from one of the best psychiatry schools in the Federation.

He sent a brief PADD message to his father, and moments later, his father appeared in the doorway. “You have narrowed the search down to two?”

“Yes, Father,” Spock said, standing and letting Sarek have access to the terminal.

Sarek sat down and looked at the two profiles. “There is much to be said about both of them,” he said, after reading both. “However, Dr. Kirk seems to have the most experience with children who have lost parents.”

Spock looked over Dr. Kirk’s profile. “I do not understand. To what are you referring to?”

“I am not surprised that you do not recognize the name, as it has been several decades since. However, Nero, the man who attacked Vulcan, 28 years ago, attacked and destroyed the _USS Kelvin_. Lieutenant Commander George Kirk Senior took command of the ship, saving not only the lives of 800 crewmembers, but the lives of his wife and newly-born child. According to Winona Kirk, Commander Kirk never got to meet his daughter, and barely helped in naming her before perishing.” Sarek looked up at his son. “She will be able to understand more than anyone what Silok is experiencing, as she has most likely experienced it herself.”

Sarek left the office, leaving Spock standing there. He sat down at the computer and pulled up all that he could on the destruction of the _USS Kelvin_ , including a dissertation on it by then-Cadet Christopher Pike.

Dr. Kirk had lost a parent to the same madman Silok had. That Spock had.

Maybe, he admitted to himself, Dr. Kirk would be the best option in helping Silok.


	2. A Day in the Office

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jamie gets some unexpected news, and visits with a friend.
> 
> Beta'd by my sister, dilazzaurus.

Jamie walked down to the front desk, where Sylvia, their receptionist, was on the comm with someone, making an appointment. “Yes, sir. She has time available later this afternoon around 3:30.” A pause. “Yes, sir, I’ll set the appointment up now. Please be sure to bring your insurance card, and arrive twenty minutes early so we can sort out the paperwork. Thank you, have a nice day!” She looked up at Jamie and blew some dark hair out of her eyes. “There are a few messages for you,” she said, tapping at a PADD.

Her PADD dinged in her hand. “Thank you, Sylvia. Who was that appointment for?”

“Surprisingly, you,” Sylvia said, tapping at her PADD again. Jamie’s dinged again.

Jamie’s eyes ran over her appointment list. Mostly, her usual patients, with one new one. _S’chn T’gai Silok._ “I’m sorry, this one has to be a mistake,” she said, pointing to it.

Sylvia shook her head, “No, it’s not. His father, Ambassador Spock, just set up the appointment. Said that you said to call.”

“Yes, for one of our other psychologists that I gave him the names for,” Jamie said, voice incredulous. “Why the hell is Spock sending Silok to me?”

“You know them?”

Jamie shook her head. “Ambassador Spock’s one of the people we’re working with for the New Vulcan project. Silok’s his son. I ran into Silok while looking for Pye. Apparently, he’d had a session with Lilly Monroe yesterday.” A look was exchanged between the two women and Jamie continued. “And he fled her office. I ran into him in the Parents Waiting Room, and Pye was there. But that’s a different story. Either way. Spock found him. I managed to get something out of Silok, and then he wanted to leave. Spock and I spoke, and I gave him some names. I didn’t expect him to ask for me though.”

“Well, darling,” Sylvia said, “he did. Your first patient is in half an hour.”

The psychiatrist smiled. “Thanks, Sylv.”

“No problem, dear.”

Jamie made her way back up to her office. She curled up in the chair she normally sat in when patients were there. Pyewacket, who had been waiting for her, jumped up in her lap. She stroked Pye’s head. “I can’t imagine why Ambassador Spock would want me to talk to his son…”

Pye batted at Jamie’s face, and Jamie couldn’t help but smile. Pye purred, rubbing Jamie’s chin with her head.

The intercom rang. “Dr. Kirk, your patient is here.”

Jamie picked Pye up to put her shoes back on, and checked her PADD. It was a little girl who had been pulled out of her home a few months ago. “Send her up.”

The next few hours were spent dealing with children of all ages who had been abused by their parents, step-parents, or just an adult in their lives. Jamie’s heart ached for all of them. There was a little boy whose mother had had no choice but to leave him with his father while she did her work. Jamie didn’t even care what it was, the woman should have taken her son with her.

Jamie knew it was irrational, but then again, she felt that way about her mother.

She had just sat down for her lunch break when her door burst open unexpectedly and Jamie found herself with one Joanna McCoy in her lap, saying, “Aunt Jamie, Aunt Jamie, Aunt Jamie!”

Jamie wrapped her arms around her best friend’s daughter. “Hey, JoJo,” she said, laughing. “How was Georgia?”

“Georgia was great!” the ten year old said. “I had fun with my cousins!” She squeezed Jamie’s neck tighter, and pulled back. “But I’m glad to be home.”

“I’m glad to have you home too, sweetie,” Jamie said. Pye had disappeared from her place on Jamie’s desk. She was never too sure what to think of Joanna McCoy whenever she returned from Georgia. Jamie assumed it had to with how Jo smelled. Like other cats, probably. “Where’s your Dad?”

“In talking with Aunt Harry,” she said.

Jamie nodded slowly. “And your dad sent you over here?”

“Yup!”

Jamie laughed. “Sounds like your dad. Why don’t you coax Pye out and stay here while I go talk to your dad and Aunt Harry.”

Jo nodded and moved to sit on the floor, attempting to lure the Russian Blue out.

Jamie stood and walked down the hall to Harry’s office, where she heard murmured angry words. “…one vacation, Harriet. Is that too much to ask for?” an angry southern drawl said.

“I said I was sorry on the phone, Leonard,” Harry said, sounding annoyed. “This could very well be the deal with gets us to helping more children in this universe.”

“And it couldn’t have waited ‘til Saturday?”

“We need to get started on it right now. And I’d rather have our best medical doctor on hand.”

“Chapel is a top nurse, Harriet.”

 “I know that, but she’s a nurse. You’re a doctor. That’s likely to go over better with the Vulcans. You can have a few extra days off at Christmas.”

“That’s bullshit, and you know it.”

A sigh. “Maybe I’d feel better with you on board for this.”

A pause. “Fine. I’ll do it. But don’t expect me to be happy about it.”

Jamie knocked on the door. “Come in!” Harry called and Jamie entered.

It was clear to the young woman that neither Harry nor Leonard thought she overheard the conversation. She smiled brightly. “How was your vacation?” she asked.

Leonard pulled her in for a hug. “Would have been better if it was longer,” he said. “But y’all decided to start this project…”

“Sorry ‘bout that,” Jamie said, grinning up at her friend. “So, what are we working on?”

They sat down and Harry sighed. “We have to organize how we’re going to split our time between here and the embassy.”

“Why do we need a doctor for this?” Jamie asked. “Won’t they have doctors of their own?”

Harry nodded. “They do, yes, but most of their healers were on Vulcan when it was destroyed. So, I offered to provide my own doctor, who has his degree in xenomedicine.”

McCoy grumbled something that Jamie tried not to listen to.

She spent the rest of her break going over plans with Bones and Harry.

“Doctor Kirk,” the intercom rang. “Your 3o’clock patient is here.”

She got up and moved over to the intercom. She pressed the button. “I’ll be in my office in a minute,” Jamie said, speaking clearly. “Bones, wanna come pick up Jo?”

He nodded standing. “We’ll have to finish ironing out the details after you two are done with patients today. Dinner?”

Harry looked down at her schedule on her PADD. “That should work for me,” she said. “Jamie?”

“As far as I know I’m good on dinner.”

They said their goodbyes to Harry and moved down the hall to her office.

Jo looked up at her father and smiled. “Hi, Dad!” she said, Pye curled up next to her as she read on her PADD. “We going?”

“Yeah, sweetheart,” McCoy said, all gruffness leaving his tone. “We’re headed down to my office. I have a few things to do, and then we’re going to get dinner with Aunt Harry and Aunt Jamie.”

Jo jumped up, PADD in hand. “Okay!” She hugged Jamie and the older woman returned the hug.

“See you tonight, kiddo,” Jamie said, ruffling her hair.

“Aunt Jaaaaamie!” Jo said, thrusting her PADD at her father and fixing her pony tail. Jamie stifled a laugh. It was so easy to torment Jo sometimes.

There was a soft knock at the door. Pye fled, wary of so many people. McCoy opened it, to reveal the small Vulcan boy Jamie had met the previous day. “Hi,” Jamie said, smiling. “One moment, Silok.” She looked at McCoy. “Bones, have Harry text me where we’re going to dinner tonight, and I’ll see you guys after work. Jo, bug your dad for me.”

Jo smiled. “Can do, Aunt Jamie.”

As the father/daughter pair moved out the door, Jo smiled at the boy. He was cute, she decided. She gave him a little wave, thinking if he was one of her aunt’s patients, he needed some kindness in his life.

Jamie waved Silok in. “Sorry about that.”

“That man is your brother and that young girl your niece?”

Jamie shook her head. “No, Joanna just met me too young to think of me as anything but family. Her father is the head medical doctor for us.”

Silok cocked his head in a way that indicated he didn’t understand but wasn’t going to push it further.

Jamie sat down in her chair, with Silok sitting stiffly across from her. “Do you know how to play chess, Silok?” she asked, gesturing to her chess set.

Silok nodded slowly. “Ko-mekh-il Amanda taught me. May I inquire as you why you are asking?”

Jamie shrugged. “No particular reason. You just seemed familiar with the chess piece that Pye dropped in your lap.”

As if merely her name could summon her, the cat appeared from somewhere, and jumped up on the couch next to Silok. She butted against Silok’s leg, mewling at him to allow her to sit on his lap.

“Doctor Kirk, I believe that your feline—”

“Has taken quite a shine to you,” Jamie finished for him. “She won’t stop until you give in to what she wants. I’ve woken up several times with her on my head where she wasn’t wanted.”

As if echoing what she was saying, Pye mewled again, butting his arm this time. Jamie forced a chuckle down. Silok relented, and Pye jumped in his lap, curling up there as if she belonged.

There was a few moments of awkward silence where Silok obviously did not know where to place his hands and Pye meowed at him. “She wants you to pet her,” Jamie explained. “She’s used to people who are in dire need of someone who loves them without judging them. So she likes to curl up on my patients laps if she thinks they need someone to cuddle with them.” Jamie paused. “I’ve never seen her be that forceful though.”

Silok awkwardly let his hand drop onto her head and he pulled it back just as quickly. “Your feline… I…”

Jamie nodded. “She was bred by a telepath. A Betazoid. He informed me that she would be more open to telepathic contact than other animals because he exposed them to telepathy from the moment they were born. I told you this yesterday, didn’t I?”

Silok closed his eyes for a moment and opened them, looking even more lost than before. Jamie prided herself on being able to read people. Maybe it was just because Silok was young, Jamie was able to read more off him than she could off his father. “You did.”

His hand fell on Pye’s head, stroking down her back softly. Pye purred, and Jamie smiled. Maybe Pye would be good for Silok after all.

“I’m under the impression that you don’t want to be here, am I right?” Jamie asked, watching as Silok meticulously petted Pye.

Silok’s eyes shot up to hers, slightly scared, before his eyes dropped down to Pye’s back. The cat meowed softly, arching up into the contact.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Jamie said. “I was just curious.”

Silok didn't lift his eyes from Pye. “I do not believe that I need someone to inform me of my mental health. My mental health is satisfactory.”

“Your father doesn’t agree,” she said neutrally.

“My father is incorrect in this regard.”

Jamie mentally took note of the slightly hostile body language Silok was giving off. “I see. Well, how about we humor him and you continue coming to these things, and you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”

Silok looked up at her, suspicious. “I do not understand.”

“Let me guess,” Jamie said, leaning forward. “The other people that you saw all forced you to talk?” Without waiting for a response, she continued. “I’m not like other people, Silok. I just want you to feel comfortable in this office. I’m not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”

The young Vulcan nodded slowly. “I agree to this, Dr. Kirk.”

Jamie smiled widely. “Good. We have an accord.”

A short pause as she mentally took more notes on his posture. “Would you like to play chess? I haven’t played in a while.”

Silok looked up at her. “No.”

She shrugged. “Very well.”

Jamie set up the board anyway, and started playing herself.

Silok watched as she set up an opening gambit she favored when playing Harriet. She picked up a pawn and watched out of the corner of her eye as Silok shook his head minutely. She looked up at him, cocking her head.

“Why move that piece? It is not the logical move,” Silok said, voice even. However, if one knew what to look for, there was a slightly curious look in his eyes.

Jamie smirked. “Because if I put this piece here,” she said, setting the pawn down, “and my opponent moves this piece to take it,” here she moved a black pawn to take the white pawn she had moved, “it sets me up for a completely different gambit, and not one that my opponent would see coming.” She moved the pieces back. “Where would you have moved it?”

Silok observed the board for a moment, before moving a different white pawn. Jamie nodded slowly, taking in the board. She moved a black piece in response.

Hell, to be perfectly honest, Jamie hadn’t expected that to work. She’d been thinking that she’d need to coax him out a bit more.

The time passed, and before Silok knew it, his session was nearing the end. Dr. Kirk had won the game they had played. He looked up at her suspiciously, hand falling on Pye’s back. “You have not questioned me once about my mental status.”

She met his eyes. “Listen. I know what it’s like, to have someone pushing, pushing, pushing, when really, all you want them to do is to _go away_ because you’re perfectly fine. Remember what we agreed on? That I wouldn’t force you to talk? I told you I wouldn’t, and I always keep my word.”

He blinked up at her slowly. He did recall her promising those things. He stood, dislodging the Russian Blue from his lap. She meowed up at him, disgruntled that she’d been moved. She jumped over to Jamie’s lap, and clambered up to Jamie’s shoulder, where she settled, washing herself. “Very well. My session is over?”

Jamie stood. “Yes. Your father should be in the waiting room. C’mon. I’ll walk you out.”

He looked up at her. “You will not tell my father?”

Her heart sank in her chest. “Of course not. Anything that happens in my office is strictly between you, me and Pye.”

Jamie escorted Silok to his father, and was about to return to her office when Spock said, “Dr. Kirk. May I have a word with you?”

She paused. “Of course, Ambassador.”

Spock turned to Silok. “The vehicle is outside. I request that you go wait in it for me.”

Silok’s gaze turned slightly stony. “Very well, Father.”

“Well?” Jamie asked, crossing her arms. “What is it, Ambassador?”

“May I inquire as to what you and my son spoke about?”

Jamie raised an eyebrow. “You really think I’d tell you that?”

Spock nodded. “Yes. As we are speaking about the mental health of my son, I expect you to.”

“Ambassador Spock, as I’m quite sure you’re aware, in 2174, the Federation passed a law, saying that, unless a child is a danger to themselves or others, their mental heath care professional is not allowed to speak to anyone about the child’s mental status. Now. In this case, Silok is my patient. He is not a danger to himself or to others, therefore, I am not even allowed to speak of his case to you unless I deem it necessary. And I don’t. Privacy issues and all that.” On her shoulder, Pye’s ears were laid flat against her skull and her fur stood on end. “As a Vulcan, I’m sure you understand privacy and all that. Correct me if I’m wrong, but Vulcan healers don’t have to follow the same guidelines as psychologists and psychiatrists, right?”

“That is correct, Doctor,” Spock ground out stiffly.

“Therefore, they could divulge all your son’s secrets even if Silok preferred they remained hidden.” She glared. “Which, he did. In fact, your son requested that I not inform you of what transpired in my office. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a few more patients before we close for the night.”

Had Spock been human, he would have gaped after Jamie as she swirled around and left the room.

Sylvia looked up. “Would you like to set up an appointment, sir?” she asked, mildly interested in the exchange that had just taken place between her boss and the bigwig ambassador.

Spock nodded, attention snapping to the other woman.

They quickly set up another appointment and Spock left, not quite sure what had just transpired.

Jamie knew Harry was free for a bit longer, so she marched her way up to Harry’s office, and burst in.

“Hi, Jamie. Please, come right in. Make yourself right at home,” the older woman snarked, taking off her reading glasses. She spotted the furious look on Jamie’s face. “Is everything alright?”

“No, everything is not alright!” Jamie snapped. Pye was only staying on by digging her claws into Jamie’s clothes as Jamie paced the room angrily. “Who the fuck does he think he is, all but demanding that I tell him what happened in the session with Silok! I don’t care if you’re God, there’s no way in hell I’m telling you what happened in a session between me and your son! Fuck, if I didn’t know better, I’d—”

Harry had never seen Jamie get so worked up over a client’s parent before. They’d had others request the same thing, and Jamie had always been cool as a cucumber. So why was Spock rubbing her the wrong way all of a sudden?

She moved to stand in front of a still pacing Jamie, stopping the younger woman in her tracks. “Jamie, look at me.”

Jamie met Harry’s gaze, and Harry put her hands on Jamie’s shoulders. “Whatever Ambassador Spock did to rub you the wrong way doesn’t mean a bloody thing about how he treats his son.” When Jamie didn’t respond, Harry gave her a tiny shake. “No. Jamie Tiberia. Listen to me. Ambassador Spock is not your step father.”

The cat jumped off Jamie’s shoulders as Harry pulled Jamie in for a hug, letting the younger woman shake in her arms.

Harry was positive that Jamie was still dealing with the after effects of her step-father’s mental and physical abuse. And she probably always would be.

Jamie did one-night stands really well, Harry knew. But relationships? Not a chance in hell. She preferred to protect herself. And if protecting herself meant not letting anyone get close… Well, that was Jamie’s decision, wasn’t it? Didn’t mean Harry had to like it, or thought Jamie was dealing well.

Eventually, Jamie pulled back and Harry let her go. “How many more appointments do you have today?” _How strenuous are they?_

Jamie shrugged, collapsing onto Harry’s couch. Pye jumped in Jamie’s lap, head-butting her stomach. “Just two more. Then dinner with you, Bones, and Jo.”

Harry nodded slowly. Jamie would never let herself be told to take a day off, which is what Harry really wanted her to do at this point. “You take Pye and go back to your office. I’ll come get you when we head to dinner.”

Jamie sighed, shoulders hunching inward, curling around her cat.

As Jamie retreated to her own office, Harry sank down into her chair.

Why did everything happen to that poor girl?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so sorry. I... These past two months have been crazy. Family is insane and I have a love/hate (but mostly hate) relationship with my dad's family, and a love/you-annoy-the-shit-out-of-me relationship with my mom's family. Honestly, I'm in organic chemistry this quarter, so expect things to get even more insane.
> 
> And I'm terribly sorry that this is so short. (Yes, 3000 words is short for me.) The ending also feels rushed to me, but I can't figure out how to fix it, so you will just have to live with it for now... Most of this chapter was written right after seeing Catching Fire. The last 1000 words or so was written yesterday.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay. Honestly, I know where I'm going with this. However, I am a college student who is a biology major and currently taking some hard classes and will be taking even harder classes next quarter. I will do my best to update as soon as possible.


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